AVCA Joins Collegiate Coaching Associations in Urging Congressional Intervention to Safeguard Olympic and Non-Revenue Programs

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) stands with its peer organizations in acknowledging today’s final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement while sounding the alarm on the existential threat it poses to Olympic and broad-based sports. In concert with the joint statement released by the AVCA, NWCA, CSCAA, and USTFCCCA, the AVCA issues this companion release to underscore its unwavering commitment to protecting opportunities for all student-athletes.

“This is a defining moment for the future of college sports,” said AVCA CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon. “The AVCA has consistently advocated for a sustainable path forward, one that upholds both fairness in athlete compensation and the foundational principle of broad-based participation. That balance is at risk, and action is needed now.”

The joint statement illustrates the stakes for student-athletes and calls on Congress to protect programs outside of football and basketball from disproportionate harm. The AVCA reaffirms two critical solutions:

• Protect: Establish proportional spending targets by sport classification to preserve meaningful investment in Olympic sports.
• Maintain: Codify current NCAA sport sponsorship requirements: 16 sports for FBS institutions; 14 for FCS and non-football Division I programs, to ensure broad-based opportunities remain intact.

“We’ve built unprecedented momentum around volleyball’s growth at every level, but that progress can’t be sustained if institutions are forced to choose between opportunity and solvency,” Gordon added. “These aren’t abstract concerns, programs are already being eliminated, and the ripple effects will reach high schools, youth sports, and our national teams.”

Over the past year, the AVCA has engaged with policymakers, national media, and fellow coaching associations to advance legislative solutions that protect Olympic sports.

“We need Congress to step in with clarity and fairness ensuring that the future of college athletics includes more than just a few sports,” Gordon said. “The AVCA is ready to work with everyone who shares that vision.”